Hoping I can get some good feedback on this electrical gremlin I am having. When I first got my '60 F100 all of the lights worked, Headlights, taillights, turn signals and brake lights. Since then it has sat for about 8 months while I rebuilt the engine and transmission. It has been back on the road for about a week now and so far the headlights, taillights and turn signals work but the brake lights have gone out. I put a new brake light switch in and the brake lights worked for about a day before going out. I went through the wiring under the bed and replaced a couple of bad looking connectors and taped up some bits of wire that had small nicks. So far, no luck, still have no brake lights... The wiring diagram in the service manual implies that there should be a ground on the taillights but I don't see any. I pulled the housings out and noticed that the passenger side wiring had an additional wire connected to the brown wire, but it wasn't connected to anything. The driver's side is missing this wire entirely.. I am a little lost on how to fix this gremlin. Any advice?
Jump across both terminals on the S/L switch ,brake lights work now? If so bad swithch. You do realize that power from the B/L sw. goes through the turn signal switch don't you? Many times a no brake light prob is in the T/S switch ,dirty contacts offten.
I may be way in left field on this but I would try grounding both lights. When I rewired my 58 I ran ground wires from the lights to the frame.
Hey johnevans, I'm not sure what you mean by jumping across both terminals. I tried putting in an older s/l switch that I know works, and still no go. How do I check the turn signal contacts?
Find were the ground wires go to the frame or body. Clean the area were it connects and use new screws and ends. The older ford trucks are noted for grounds going bad. Are the turn signals bright. If not they could be grounding back through the wiring. Also there may be a fuse for the brake lights on that truck.
Replaced fuses and the turn signals are definitely bright. There are no ground wires on the tail lights, I was told it grounds through the housing.
X2. spent hours trying to figure out why the brake lights wouldnt turn on on the 69'. the ground ws bad off of the buckets.also make sure you didnt burn a fuse maybe.
Jumping means to connect 2 terminals of a switch together with a wire etc to bypass the switch so as to remove it from the circuit. That way electrically it is no longer there. That should make the brake lights work. If not your problem is either power is not getting to the T/S switch or the contacts in the switch are dirty/bad etc. Only way to access that switch is to pull the steering wheel. Use a test light to confirm power to the S/L switch and if you have power there follow the wire from the switch to the steering column and then the T/S switch.
wish i was closer i would come over and help. if you have a DVOM or a friend that does. check resistance from the switch to the lights. if you have Little to no resistance then you are ok at that point then check your grounds and if you have any bad grounds then replace them. any short weather ground or power will cause you issues like that.
I would bet money its going to be in the steering colume and indirectly with the turn signals switch inside. I've had the same problem on about 4-5 of those year trucks and up to 64 and it usually was that problem. Theirs contacts inside the part of the turn signal plate that get corroded over the years and causes the brake lights not to work. Like someone else said wish I was closer I'd sure come over and help.
Faulty turn signal, it most likely just happened to work for a moment when you swapped out the break switch. Possibly moving some wires around helped make contact within the turn signal switch for a moment. If it's the original turn signal switch, it's probably just worn out.
Had a buddy come over today with a multi-meter. Theres power to the stop-light switch but no power showing at the brake lights. Everything seems to point to the turn signals right now. Going to pull the steering wheel tomorrow and clean and re-gease the contacts. Hopefully that will do it!
I like to use an automotive test light like this one. The sharp point allows you to puncture the wire's insulation to see if it is hot. With this tool you should be able to isolate where the problem is and not just guess where the problem is. Start at the BL switch and check for voltage as you trace the wiring through the car. When you no longer have voltage, you have located the problem area and you can fix it. You will need it inside the column too to find out where the problem is in the column. Multi meters are fine but you need both hands and a a bare connection to test for voltage. These lights are cheap and should be in every ones tool box. I just went through the same drill last week when I lost my brake lights.
Is it a plunger type switch @ the pedal or a pressure switch on the line from the master cylinder? If it's the plunger type (similar to interior light switch in the door jamb) they can be a little quirky and sensitive in their adjustment. Double check that it is fully extending (the plunger) when brake pedal is pushed down.
do yourself a huge favor by soldering a wire to the exterior of the socket housing that is long enough you can ground it to the frame. i have been doing that for many years because the old dude that taught me wouldn't even talk to me about light issues until that was done, smart dude!
Used a test light, the wire has juice at the stop light switch and the fuse block, but doesn't have it after the turn signal switch.
Ok, this sucks. My buddy came over the next day, we cleaned and greased the turn signal switch and everything was working tits. Then about a week later we noticed the brake lights had gone out again so I decided to go ahead and buy the new turn signal switch. Went today to Vintage Ford and picked it up. Just finished installing it. Turn Signals work, lights work... but of course the brake lights still do not work. Is there a trick to these switchs?
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